Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Counterkill!

Inside the room.

“Brother Zhou, have some tea.”

Lin Chang’an, with a full smile on his face, brought over the tea infused with the Wood Spirit Spike.

“Brother Lin, take a look at the quality of these two bottles of elixir I have.”

Zhou Qing had a teasing smile on his face, showing no sign of deceit.

He first took out two bottles of elixir, then leisurely sipped the tea, silently touching the sachet at his waist as he set the teacup down.

“These are good elixirs.”

Lin Chang’an, still smiling, looked at the two bottles of elixir on the table, and then took out two Golden Light Talismans.

“Brother Lin, these two Golden Light Talismans are not enough.”

“Brother Zhou, with the current market condition, an upper-grade defensive talisman is almost fifty Spirit Stones each. Although your elixirs are good…”

“Brother Lin, how about this, I’ll add another bottle of Qi Benefiting Pills.”

Zhou Qing, with a pained expression, took another bottle of elixir from his Storage Bag. Lin Chang’an nodded gently and began to inspect the elixir.

Just as the two were each harboring their own schemes, just as Lin Chang’an was about to take the Jade Bottle with the Qi Benefiting Pills, Zhou Qing suddenly revealed a fierce look, abruptly opening the Jade Bottle and splashing its contents at him.

Lin Chang’an pretended to be shocked, trying to stand up, but stumbled and fell back into his chair. The Mana Shield formed by his body-worn Golden Light Talisman was splashed by the black water from the Jade Bottle.

Hiss!

The pale golden Mana Shield dimmed under the Five Poison Water, and in his panic, Lin Chang’an activated three Golden Light Talismans in succession to stabilize it, yet he appeared weak and powerless.

“Five Poison Water! Brother… Brother Zhou, what are you doing!”

Amidst the corrosive sound and swirling smoke, Lin Chang’an was terrified to the extreme.

Once contaminated with Five Poison Water, even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator would suffer.

Zhou Qing, seeing Lin Chang’an looking like a lamb to the slaughter, lost all of his friendly demeanor, replaced by cold indifference.

“Brother Lin, sorry, but don’t you understand the logic of not showcasing your wealth!”

Greed! Ever since Zhou Qing saw the Spirit Gathering Array in Lin Chang’an’s house during the last visit, greed had sprouted in his heart. Knowing that Lin Chang’an was quite wealthy, he naturally wanted to score a big hit before leaving.

“You! When did you poison me!”

Lin Chang’an stood up, staggering back, his face filled with panic.

“Don’t blame me!”

Seeing Lin Chang’an poisoned and weak, Zhou Qing sighed with a raspy voice, shaking his head.

“Blame it on why Zhou Tieshan has such good fortune. I also want to establish a Foundation. Since the clan can’t help me, then I…”

At this moment, suddenly a sharp pain came from his abdomen. Zhou Qing’s face changed drastically, spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

“Damn it! Despicable traitor, you actually poisoned me!”

In his shock and rage, Zhou Qing realized that the tea was poisoned too.

In the small room, both of them had secretly poisoned each other.

Zhou Qing hurriedly consumed a few Antitoxic Pills, staring angrily at Lin Chang’an, and with a wave of his hand, summoned his Earth Dog Spirit Pet from the Spirit Beast Bag.

“Damn loose cultivators like you!”

A ferocious dog, the size of a calf, charged forward, and amidst Lin Chang’an’s terrified screams, the protective shield made sizzling sounds.

Just as Zhou Qing breathed a sigh of relief at this sight, the next moment, several flashes of fire accompanied by the mournful cries of his spirit pet, and hidden within the firelight were three streaks of green light.

[Wood Spirit Spike]

No time to think, Zhou Qing forcefully raised his Mana Shield, roaring in anger:

“An upper-grade Fire Bomb Talisman, I didn’t expect your wealth to be…”

Amidst the rumbling of the Fire Bomb Talisman, Zhou Qing’s voice abruptly stopped.

“How…how is this possible!”

At this moment, Zhou Qing was filled with disbelief, staring at the Mana Shield in front of him, not knowing when it had been pierced.

The Mana Shield flickered darkly, and three red dots in a triangular shape appeared on his throat, visibly turning a bluish-black.

With a thud, Zhou Qing staggered helplessly to the ground, full of resentment. If only he hadn’t been so greedy, he might have already left the Market by now.

Nevertheless, his throat swelled black, unable to utter a sound, and in his scattered and resentful pupils, the reflection of Lin Chang’an’s figure rose from afar.

His spirit pet had long since collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

Slash!

The Cyan Bamboo Sword flashed, cleanly decapitating the head.

Zhou Qing, filled with regret and resentment, slipped into endless darkness.

“Old bastard, I was wary of you from the start!”

Lin Chang’an, rising from the ground, sneered, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

All of this happened in an instant.

Don’t be fooled into thinking he surpassed his level of Qi Refining Sixth Layer to kill the Qi Refining Eighth Layer Zhou Qing.

In reality, both parties were never on equal footing from the start.

He was not poisoned, yet the tea Zhou Qing drank was.

Feigning fear and poisoning, he staggered backward, and when Zhou Qing released his spirit pet to bite frantically, Lin Chang’an used it as a cover, a moment when Zhou Qing was most relaxed.

He also pretended to attack with several upper-grade Tier One Fire Bomb Talismans while concealing three Wood Spirit Spikes, which played the crucial role.

“That was close.”

Only after delivering the final blow and decapitating Zhou Qing did Lin Chang’an secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

The act of pouring tea earlier was also an opportunity, but knowing Zhou Qing clearly intended to kill for his wealth, he remained vigilant throughout. Though the distance aided him, it was also when Zhou Qing’s guard was highest.

Thus, he pretended to be poisoned, taking the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Just as Lin Chang’an was about to clean up the battlefield, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from the Market.

“Something’s wrong!”

Lin Chang’an’s complexion changed, quickly heading out of the courtyard, climbing onto the roof in shock, looking towards the Market.

“That’s the Zhou Family!”

From a distance, he could see a great fire erupting from the Zhou Family, with numerous Tribulation Cultivators running rampant.

…

Zhou Family.

“Patriarch, there’s a traitor within the clan, the array has been breached, countless loose cultivators have rushed in.”

“Patriarch, bad news, the medicine fields! Our clan’s medicine fields have been burned!”

“Patriarch, it’s bad, the Patriarch was intercepted on the way back.”

Faced with the chaos within the clan, the old ancestor of the Zhou Family, who had led the Zhou Family through several crises, commanded respect without anger, coldly proclaiming: “What’s the panic for! Just a group of rebellious loose cultivators!”

Yet at this very moment, from the back mountain of the Zhou Family came a sorrowful beast roar, upon hearing which, the previously composed old ancestor of the Zhou Family had his expression change dramatically.

“Not good! How could the Clan Guardian Spirit Beast be in trouble!”

“Patriarch, bad news, someone is attacking the back mountain.”

This moment saw a trace of panic surface on the face of the Zhou Family’s old ancestor.

The Clan Guardian Spirit Beast of their Zhou Family was in its birthing period, at the weakest point.

There is a traitor!

The Zhou Family’s old ancestor suddenly realized this, gritting his teeth in fury.

The family array being breached, he was only suspicious, but this direct assault on the back mountain’s Clan Guardian Spirit Beast could only mean a traitor was involved.

“Kill for me!”

A furious roar echoed from the Zhou Family, the old ancestor of the Zhou Family bellowing as he charged out.

An aged Foundation Establishment Cultivator, in a rampage, was undoubtedly terrifying.

Yet this turmoil was not limited to the Zhou Family, as multiple instances of chaos occurred within the Market.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep